Gov. to appoint Board of Regents pick for interim president

Connecticut Post

Staff reports

Updated 4:14 pm, Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Board of Regents has recommended Philip Austin as interim President to fill in for Robert A. Kennedy, who has resigned following a week of controversy over the discovery he secretly gave hefty raises to his top staff. Austin will step in if the move is approved by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Photo: Contributed Photo

The Board of Regents has recommended Philip Austin as interim...

A 2005 photo of Philip Austin, then president of the University of Connecticut. The Board of Regents has recommended Philip Austin as interim President to fill in for Robert A. Kennedy, who has resigned following a week of controversy over the discovery he secretly gave hefty raises to his top staff. Austin will step in if the move is approved by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Photo: STEVE MILLER, AP Photo/Steve Miller

A 2005 photo of Philip Austin, then president of the University of...

A 2005 photo of Philip Austin, then president of the University of Connecticut. The Board of Regents has recommended Philip Austin as interim President to fill in for Robert A. Kennedy, who has resigned following a week of controversy over the discovery he secretly gave hefty raises to his top staff. Austin will step in if the move is approved by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Photo: STEVE MILLER, AP Photo/Steve Miller

A 2005 photo of Philip Austin, then president of the University of...

Robert Kennedy, President of the Board of Regents of Higher Education for the State of Connecticut, photographed at Housatonic Community College, in Bridgeport in 2011. Kennedy resigned Friday following a week of controversy over the discovery he secretly gave hefty raises to his top staff.
Photo: Ned Gerard

Michael Meotti, regent vice president, and Robert A. Kennedy, president of the state's new Board of Regents, address members of the legislature's Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee in 2011 at the Legislative Office building. Kennedy resigned Friday following a week of controversy over the discovery he secretly gave hefty raises to his top staff.
Photo: Linda Conner Lambeck

HARTFORD -- The Board of Regents voted this afternoon to recommend an interim president to fill in for Robert A. Kennedy, who has resigned from his $340,000-a-year job following a week of controversy over the discovery he secretly gave hefty raises to his top staff.

In a written statement released this afternoon, Malloy said he approves of the recommendation and will appoint Austin.

"Dr. Austin is an outstanding choice by the Board of Regents, Malloy said in the statement. "His reputation is beyond reproach, and he will bring much needed stability to the Board of Regents central office the first day he walks in the door. He's also the right person to make sure the reforms that have started to be implemented continue."

Malloy noted that Austin was "instrumental in overseeing implementation of the UConn 2000 and 21st Century UConn programs," and that he most recently served with the leadership of the UConn Health Center.

"I'm confident Dr. Austin will work closely with each of the Board's members, legislative leaders, and the faculty, staff and students at each of the schools so that credibility can be restored to the central office and a unified vision for the schools reinvigorated, Malloy said.

Earlier this week, legislative leaders from both parties had called for Kennedy's resignation.

"After taking some time to think about what is in the best interest of our state and this new organization, our colleges and universities, the faculty, staff, presidents and, of course, our students, I have decided to submit my resignation to Board Chairman Lewis J. Robinson this morning," Kennedy said in a written statement.

"I do so with a heavy heart, understanding that this isn't the way in which I thought my tenure would end in Connecticut, but also with a great deal of optimism that, ultimately, the Board of Regents for Higher Education will succeed greatly in its efforts to move a change agenda focused on preparing students for the global economy in which they will compete, and becoming a critical partner in the state's workforce development efforts."

In a separate statement, Gov. Dannel Malloy called the decision the right one. "There have been many accomplishments at the board over the last year, and Bob deserves a lot of credit for those accomplishments. He's a smart, decent, thoughtful individual who has spent many years working to improve education systems. Our state universities, community and technical colleges are better off for Bob having spent the last year here in Connecticut, and I thank him for his service. It's unfortunate that the events of the past week have damaged the credibility of the central office, but they have. And that credibility needs to be restored as quickly as possible."

Lewis Robinson, chairman of the board, accepted the resignation in his own prepared statement, " I'm sure this was not an easy decision at which to arrive, but I appreciate his willingness to put our students first," said Robinson.

The embattled president of the state Board of Regents for Higher Education stepped into a firestorm Thursday as top Republican leaders in the General Assembly called for his resignation and his supporters seemed to waver.

House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk, and Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, both called on Kennedy to resign his job for improperly approving more than $300,000 in raises for 21 office workers.

"I believe it's in the best interests of the thousands of students that rely on our state's higher education system, and those who are responsible to taxpayers for how it is administered, that President Kennedy tender his resignation," Cafero said.

"The Board of Regents for Higher Education needs to clean house," said McKinney, who also called for the resignation of Board of Regent's Executive Vice President Michael Meotti, who received a now-suspended $47,000 raise.

Also calling for Kennedy to resign were state Rep. Roberta Willis, D-Lakeville, and Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, both co-chairwomen of the legislature's committee on higher education, and state Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Stamford.

Board of Regents Chairman Lewis Robinson, who stood at Kennedy's side Wednesday as the president again apologized for not placing raises before the full Board of Regents, took a step back on Thursday.

"The board and I have been greatly troubled with the actions that have been taken by and the lack of information shared with the Board of Regents by President Kennedy. The board will be reviewing his judgment exercised in these matters, as well as his performance. Based on our findings, we will take the appropriate action," Robinson said.

Kennedy's state contract provided the president with a $340,000 salary and a lengthy list of perks, including $25,000 worth of unvouched expenses per year and six weeks of paid "professional development" time, which Kennedy used this summer to work from his Minnesota vacation property.

Malloy, who handpicked Kennedy to run the regents system after dissolving the former Board of Trustees system, said it's time the Board of Regents "step in" and take action, although he stopped short of saying what that action should be.

"I believe the Board of Regents needs to step in, conduct a review of these matters and take appropriate steps based on their findings," said Malloy, a Democrat. "The credibility of the central office has been damaged, and it needs to be restored as quickly as possible."